Dead Stars

September 25th - California U.S.A

I arrived in L.A. at around three in the morning. I was too exhausted to even start finding you or even start thinking, so I decided to take the day off and just rest. I deserved it, I guessed.

When morning came, I took a quick shower and headed straight out the door. It was back to looking for you. The first place at the top of my head was our old apartment. I found my way back there and asked the receptionist if you were there. She said no Peyton lived there.

The next thing I did was head to the coffee shop you used to work at. I was hoping maybe you had stopped by there, although I knew the chances were little. I walked in the shop and it was as if we never even left Los Angeles.

That's crazy, isn't it? How the things around us are still the same but the things that happened between us have changed?

I walked over to the counter but was stopped by someone. I turned to look and saw that it was Alice. "Niall?"

"Alice!" I said approaching to hug her, "How are you?"

"I'm good. I'm great." She answered, "How are you? How's Peyton?"

"That's why I'm here. I kind of need to talk to you." I said quietly. She nodded her head and called over another worker and told her to watch over the café while we talked. I told her that she could get in trouble for not working and engaging with customers. She just shrugged and said no one can do anything about it since she is now the boss.

Anyway, we sat in the corner of the café and I told her everything. From the moment we left L.A. a year ago to where we were now. Alice kept making faces as I talked, but she didn't utter a word.

"First, you fucked up. Royally. Second, Is that why you're here?" She asked when I had finished, "You're looking for Peyton?"

I nodded my head. She sighed softly and I knew what the answer would be. She looked at me and said, "Sorry, buddy, she hasn't come by since you left. Did she say anything before she left about where she would be?"

I shook my head, "She said she wanted to lose all traces of me and just completely cut me out of her life, basically. So, I've no idea where in the world she is."

She sighed again and sat back in her seat. "What do we do now?"

We sat in silence for a few minutes just thinking about where you could be, until she sat up and looked at me.

"What?" I asked.

"Niall, sometimes I really think you're stupid."

"Oh gee, thanks, Alice."

She shook her head, "No. I mean, you're stupid because I can't believe you didn't even think of this the first time."

"What?" I asked.

She clapped her hands together in excitement. "Of course, of course. She would definitely be there."

"Peyton? Where?" I asked getting just as excited.

She looked at me straight in the eye. "Where do you think?"

"...Portland?" I asked, which made Alice facepalm herself. "Honestly, Niall, do you even listen to a word Peyton says to you?"

I rolled my eyes, "Of course, I do."

"Okay, out of all the places and countries you've visited, which place was Peyton more excited about?" She asked.

"New York."

She sat back, crossed her arms. "You have your answer."

"Thank you." I said before I ran out of the coffee shop, grabbed all of my things at the hotel, and booked the next flight to New York, which was in a few hours.

As I sat waiting for my flight, I felt in my gut that you were there. This was it. I'm on my way home.

-N